With the Russian ink barely dry on Lady Gaga’s and Leonardo DiCaprio’s comments sections, Russian-speaking Instagram users are setting their sights on newer — and brawnier — targets.
A popular comic issued a challenge this week to “have a go at” action star Sylvester Stallone, who had just released the trailer for the sequel to his classic film “Rambo.”
“New game: ‘Russian Cyberattack’,” Garik Kharlamov wrote to his 6.1 million followers on Tuesday, directing them to go to Stallone's Instagram page and leave as many Russian comments as possible on the trailer.
Russian users did not disappoint: Cyrillic letters dominated the more than 12,000 comments on Sly’s trailer, firmly parking themselves on his page in the past 24 hours.
Some referenced the rumors that U.S. actor Bradley Cooper had left Russian model Irina Shayk for Lady Gaga that sparked last month’s Russian Instagram takeover. Others simply carried over the odd recipe-writing tradition which originated in the U.S. pop star’s comments section.
“Did I miss something? Did Stallone hook up with Cooper now?” wrote one user. Another quipped: “Did Sly steal someone from Irina Shayk too?”
Most simply did what Kharlamov asked them to do and wrote “I need your clothes and motorcycle,” intentionally repurposing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s words from the “Terminator” franchise.
In a later post, Kharlamov tasked his followers to move to Arnie’s own Instagram page and write: “Remember who you are, Simba.”
“Resistance is futile,” one Russian user told the Austrian action star, echoing Darth Vader before launching into a truly dadaist mashup of references. “So let Chris Tucker know that ‘Rush Hour’ is upon him, Bruce Willis that a Russian Squirrel is after his ‘Die Hards’ and Steven Seagal that they’ll find him and his Russian passport and get a mortgage.”
And as for the reason why Kharlamov ordered the “Russian Cyberattack”? The comedian himself said he hasn’t come up with one yet.
Sometimes, you don’t need a reason to do odd things on the internet.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.